Are Electronic Editions Inherently Obsolete?

This paper looks at some of the theoretical background behind technologies being developed at the Australian Scholarly Editions Centre for a new form of resource for the study of historical works of literature. Some of the unique features of these technologies are that they support conflicting points of view (including conflicting structural markup) and also allow simultaneous, parallel development by multiple researchers on the same parts of the work. Archivists talk about maintaining digital assets through use rather than preservation so that demand for the asset will ensure its propagation long-term. To achieve this end a digital asset must be as versatile as possible so as to meet all requirements for those who might want to use it. If it does not do this it will be superseded by something that does meet those needs creating new witness states in the record and confusion for future literary researchers. The word "edition" is a term from the print paradigm and implies a fixed publication with features proscribed by the medium. Technical and feature obsolescence will eventually cause these "electronic editions" to be either superseded or lost from the human record. A better type of resource is one that can be continually developed by its multiple users, while maintaining its textual authenticity, thereby ensuring its continued maintenance long after its original creator is gone. This paper looks at the reasoning behind the need for a new paradigm for creating and maintaining text-based digital assets and provides examples of a work in progress that solves some of the inherent limitations of the print-based "edition" paradigm.Hosted by the Scholarly Text and Imaging Service (SETIS), the University of Sydney Library, and the Research Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (RIHSS), the University of Sydney

Assessing and Improving Positional Accuracy and its Effects on Areal Estimation at Coleambally Irrigation Area

If management decisions are made with geospatial data that have not been assessed for positional accuracy, then debate about both methodologies of measurement and management decisions can occur. This debate, in part, can be avoided by assessing the positional accuracy of geospatial data, leading to increased confidence (decreased uncertainty) in both the data and the decisions made from the data. In this study, we assessed the positional accuracy of two Geographic Information System (GIS) baseline datasets at the Coleambally Irrigation Area (CIA); high-resolution digital aerial photography acquired in January 2000, and the Digital Topographic Data Base (DTDB) roads data. We also assessed areal error of paddock measurements from an improved accuracy version of the high-resolution digital aerial photography. Positional accuracies were assessed by comparing well-defined features from both baseline datasets (original aerial photography and DTDB roads) to high-level accuracy Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data for the same features. This assessment showed that neither baseline dataset met the National Mapping Council of Australia’s standards of map accuracy. Consequently, we processed the original digital photography to create an improved dataset, which was over 2.5 times more accurate than the original photography, and over 4 times more accurate than the DTDB data. The improved dataset also met the map accuracy standard for Australia. We also assessed areal error by comparing paddock boundaries delineated from the improved dataset to those delineated from a DGPS associated with paddock soil surveys. The 90% confidence interval measured from the improved data for any individual paddock is approximately at the ± 5% target error set by Coleambally Irrigation Limited (CIL). The 95% confidence interval is roughly ± 6%. Overall areal error of multiple paddocks is much lower than the individual case with the 95% confidence interval for 2 paddocks being from about ± 4% error reducing to less than ± 2% for 8 or more paddocks. Knowledge of both positional and areal accuracies of the improved high-resolution digital aerial photography provides a means to more effectively manage environmental compliance of rice farmers at CIA and gives the CIL justification for making management decisions from this spatial data

Measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): A systematic review

Contains fulltext : 164118.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)This systematic review summarizes the evidence regarding the quality of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) validated in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We performed a systematic literature search of all PROMs validated in patients with OSA, and found 22 measures meeting our inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed using the consensus-based standards for the selection of health status measurement instruments (COSMIN) checklist. The results showed that most of the measurement properties of the PROMs were not, or not adequately, assessed. For many identified PROMs there was no involvement of patients with OSA during their development or before the PROM was tested in patients with OSA. Positive exceptions and the best current candidates for assessing health status in patients with OSA are the sleep apnea quality of life index (SAQLI), Maugeri obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (MOSAS) questionnaire, Quebec sleep questionnaire (QSQ) and the obstructive sleep apnea patient-oriented severity index (OSAPOSI). Even though there is not enough evidence to fully judge the quality of these PROMs as outcome measure, when interpreted with caution, they have the potential to add value to clinical research and clinical practice in evaluating aspects of health status that are important to patients

Head-to-head Comparison of Transrectal Ultrasound-guided Prostate Biopsy Versus Multiparametric Prostate Resonance Imaging with Subsequent Magnetic Resonance-guided Biopsy in Biopsy-naive Men with Elevated Prostate-specific Antigen: A Large Prospective Multicenter Clinical Study

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Роль православної церкви у формуванні та функціонуванні політичної системи України в 90-і роки ХХ ст.

У статті зроблено спробу аналізу місця та ролі православної церкви у процесах формування та функціонування політичної системи України у 90-і роки ХХ ст. Доведено, що українські православні церкви відігравали значну роль у політичному житті країни, не тільки агітуючи віруючих за певну політичну силу, а й балотуючи своїх представників до місцевих органів влади. Українські політики використовували церкву заради досягнення власних цілей, що ще більше загострювало міжконфесійні взаємини і посилювало політизацію церковного життя.В статье сделана попытка анализа места и роли православной церкви в процессе формирования и функционирования политической системы Украины в 90-е годы ХХ ст. Доказано, что украинские православные церкви играли значительную роль в политической жизни страны, не только агитируя верующих за определенную политическую силу, но и баллотируя своих представителей в местные органы власти. Украинские политики использовали церковь ради достижения собственных целей, что еще больше обостряло межконфессиональные отношения и усиливало политизацию церковной жизни.In the article the attempt of analysis of place and role of orthodox church in the process of forming and functioning of the political system of Ukraine in the 90 th ys of the XX ct is done. It is proved, that the Ukrainian orthodox churches acted considerable part in the political life of country, not only agitating believers for definite political force, but also voting the representatives in local authorities. The Ukrainian politicians used a church for achievement of own purposes, that yet more intensified the interconfession relations reinforced the political impact on the church life

Linked Pharmacometric-Pharmacoeconomic Modeling and Simulation in Clinical Drug Development

Market access and pricing of pharmaceuticals are increasingly contingent on the ability to demonstrate comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. As such, it is widely recognized that predictions of the economic potential of drug candidates in development could inform decisions across the product life cycle. This may be challenging when safety and efficacy profiles in terms of the relevant clinical outcomes are unknown or highly uncertain early in product development. Linking pharmacometrics and pharmacoeconomics, such that outputs from pharmacometric models serve as inputs to pharmacoeconomic models, may provide a framework for extrapolating from early-phase studies to predict economic outcomes and characterize decision uncertainty. This article reviews the published studies that have implemented this methodology and used simulation to inform drug development decisions and/or to optimize the use of drug treatments. Some of the key practical issues involved in linking pharmacometrics and pharmacoeconomics, including the choice of final outcome measures, methods of incorporating evidence on comparator treatments, approaches to handling multiple intermediate end points, approaches to quantifying uncertainty, and issues of model validation are also discussed. Finally, we have considered the potential barriers that may have limited the adoption of this methodology and suggest that closer alignment between the disciplines of clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, and pharmacoeconomics, may help to realize the potential benefits associated with linked pharmacometric-pharmacoeconomic modeling and simulation

Het mes dat bindt

Contains fulltext : 107625.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Dubbeloratie uitgesproken bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van hoogleraar Academisering van operatieve processen [resp.] Evidence-based surgery aan het UMC St Radboud op donderdag 28 februari 201332 p

AOM in children.

Contains fulltext : 96605pub.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)INTRODUCTION: In the UK, about 30% of children under 3 years of age visit their GP each year with acute otitis media (AOM), and 97% of these receive antibiotics. In the US, AOM is the most common reason for outpatient antibiotic treatment. Without antibiotics, AOM resolves within 24 hours in about 60% of children, and within 3 days in about 80% of children. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments for AOM in children; and what are the effects of interventions to prevent recurrence? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to September 2010 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Results : We found 29 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: analgesics, antibiotics, delayed antibiotics, immediate antibiotics, long-term antibiotic prophylaxis, longer courses of antibiotics, myringotomy, pneumococcal vaccination, tympanostomy with ventilation tubes, xylitol syrup or gum, and influenza vaccination